In recent years, demand has arisen for lighting systems that produce light for purposes other than general illumination. Multiple lighting devices are used for such different alternative purposes. For example, many lights are designed to produce only a particular wavelength of light, such as ultraviolet, infrared, or particular wavelengths of visible light with an increased intensity versus that of general illumination lights. Many benefits are associated with lights of particular wavelengths, such as vitamin growth, plant growth, sanitation, medical treatment, and the like.
The need to produce these additional wavelengths at sufficient intensities leads to many applications where multiple lighting fixtures are used. Users will often have a device for general illumination, and an additional device for generating the preferred wavelength of light that is used for the associated benefits. The requirement to have multiple devices is not convenient in most applications. For example, installation of multiple lighting fixtures in a single room may not be operable as the room may not be designed to incorporate more than one lighting device. Also, in the medical context, using multiple lighting fixtures can lead to the discomfort of patients having to be exposed to light that substantially alters the appearance of their surroundings (e.g., using a green 540 nm light for Mastocytosis treatment will turn the entire room green).